The diet of the endemic tree snail Partula gibba is not well known. Two individuals were observed feeding on the ejecta of Mariana fruit bat, Pteropus mariannus mariannus, comprised of masticated Pandanus sp. fruit on Sarigan, Northern Mariana Islands. Further studies on the life history of this endangered species are needed.

First record of the Ashy Minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus), a passerine bird, for Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Beer, K.C.J., E.M. Rehm & J.A. Savidge

We observed a flock of four Ashy Minivets (Pericrocotus divaricatus) on northern Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), on multiple occasions from 6 November 2015 through 9 April 2016. We saw both male and female plumages among the flock members, and mist-netted one of each sex. This is the first record for the CNMI and only the second for Micronesia.

Marine benthic diatoms in the coral reefs of Reunion and Rodrigues Islands, West Indian Ocean

Al-Handal, A.Y., P. Compére & C. Riaux-Gobin

The present study provides the first detailed list of diatoms from the coral reefs of Reunion and Rodrigues Islands in the Western Indian Ocean. The list includes 141 taxa belonging to 59 genera excluding many taxa previously described or partially reported in separate works from the region. Many of the taxa recorded are not known from habitats outside the coral reef environments. Sampling was carried out for several years starting 2005 and collected from various types of habitats. The islands are rich in diatoms and several species were recently described as new to science. Several taxa with no clear identity have not been treated in this report and require detailed taxonomic investigation. Apart from Cocconeis with 18 species, no other genus seemed to be widely diversified.

Recent collections of specimens of Halophila gaudichaudii J. Kuo, previously identified as Halophila minor (Zollinger) den Hartog, from Kwajalein Atoll in September 2016 and the archiving of the specimens at BISH validate the previous observation of this seagrass genus in the Marshall Islands. Previously, no voucher specimen was available for examination. Molecular analyses of the Kwajalein Halophila specimens may demonstrate conspecificity with Halophila nipponica J. Kuo with H. gaudichaudii relegated as a synonym. Herbarium specimens of Cymodocea rotundata Ehrenberg and Hemprich ex Ascherson from Majuro Atoll were found at BISH and may represent the only specimens from the Marshall Islands archived in a herbarium. Cymodocea rotundata, however, has been documented in past literature and archived via digital photos in its natural habitat in Majuro. The previous validation of Thalassia hemprichii (Ehrenberg) Ascherson with specimens, and the recent validation of Halophila gaudichaudii and Cymodocea rotundata with specimens reaffirm the low coral atolls and islands of the Marshall Islands as the eastern limit for the three species in the Pacific Ocean.